REPORT: Multiple GOP Senators Are Refusing To Confirm Matt Gaetz For AG
Multiple Republican senators have balked at the idea of confirming U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) for U.S. attorney general after President-elect Donald Trump made the unexpected announcement in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.
“He will never get confirmed,” one Republican senator told Fox News on the condition of anonymity. “Ain’t gonna happen,” another Senate source said in response to the Florida congressman’s nomination.
Enemies of Gaetz — a staunch ally of the president-elect — has been the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation after he moved to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). The allegations being probed by the committee include sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and accepting improper gifts, though no evidence of wrongdoing has been made public as of this report.
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) suggested that the ethics investigation will be a major hang-up for her when it comes time to vote on Gaetz’s nomination. “He’s under investigation by the House Committee on Ethics,” Collins said. “Obviously, the president has the right to nominate whomever he wishes, but this is why the background checks that are done by the FBI and the advice and consent process in the Senate, and public hearings are also important.”
Other senators, including allies of newly-elected Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), refused to give concrete answers. “He will go through the nomination process just like everyone else,” said Senator James Lankford (R-OK), while Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) told reporters, “I got nothing for you on that,” when asked about the nomination.
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) — who came up short in his leadership bid earlier in the day — did not completely oppose the prospect of confirming Gaetz, though he did point to the ethics investigation as a potential hurdle.
Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) — a longtime critic of Gates — suggested that he would be open to supporting his nomination if the confirmation process goes smoothly. On the prospect of recess appointments, Mullin stated that the route would “not be ideal” but nonetheless stated that the chamber was looking at all options.
“The ideal way is for us to move forward, but if that’s the last resort, we will absolutely do it. If Chuck Schumer and the Democrats in the Senate want to keep us from making any of these appointments, we are going to do our best to do whatever we have to do to get the Cabinet in a position, to get the appointments in position, so President Trump can go to work on day one. So we will do whatever it takes, but that’s the last resort,” he said.
CNN’s Jake Tapper then asked whether Mullin intends to support Gate’z nomination.
“You know, Matt Gaetz and I, there’s no question that we’ve had our differences. They’ve been very public about it. I completely trust President Trump’s decision making on this one. But at the same time, he’s got to come to Congress and sell himself,” the senator answered. “There’s a lot of questions that are going to be out there. And hopefully he’s able to answer the questions right. And hopefully he’s able to answer the questions right. And if he can, then we’ll go through the confirmation process.”
Newly-elected Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told Fox News that he is open to the prospect of recess appointments, which would allow a nominee to serve for two years, according to the Congressional Research Service
“We must act quickly and decisively to get the president’s cabinet and other nominees in place as soon as possible to start delivering on the mandate we’ve been sent to execute, and all options are on the table to make that happen, including recess appointments,” he said.
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